The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator for separating water out of wet steam, and includes a first cylindrical tube and a second cylindrical tube that is coaxially disposed relative to the first cylindrical tube, whereby the inner diameter of the first cylindrical tube is greater than the outer diameter of the second cylindrical tube, and wherein there is disposed in the first cylindrical tube a swirl producer that is comprised of a ring of swirl vanes that are secured upon a hub.
Such separators are used in steam generating plants having steam bleed lines in order to lower the water fraction in the wet steam and to thereby protect the tubular lines and the turbines from erosion due to drops of water. With one known centrifugal separator (EP-A-0 002 235, EP-B-0 005 494) there is provided within a tank a plurality of narrow tubes in each of which is disposed a swirl producer. This manner of construction is complicated and expensive because it leads to a large-volume structural unit that must be supported in the plant separate from the steam line. Furthermore, the driving or booster steam that is required for the withdrawal of the water that has been separated off, is withdrawn to the outside to a location within the steam generating plant having an appropriately low pressure.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a centrifugal separator of the aforementioned general type in such a way that it can have a compact construction and without additional support can be installed into the wet steam line.